Brain Injury Lawyer in Redwood City, CA

Contact Us

Severe head injuries can occur anywhere in the Bay Area. You may be hit by a large truck driver while commuting home on Highway 101. A reckless driver may have failed to check their blind spot and clipped your bike on Cañada Road. Even a bad fall at a Nob Hill or Safeway might result in a concussion or skull fracture.

Brain injuries can have a permanent impact on your personality, relationships, and career. Our Redwood City personal injury lawyers can help families seek compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and significant changes in day-to-day life.

Danko Meredith can level the playing field with insurance companies and other powerful interests. Let us fight for you. For a free consultation with our brain injury lawyers in Redwood City, contact our law firm today.

an image of brain scans

What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?

Traumatic brain injuries refer to any blows to the head or the body that result in damage to the brain. Examples of TBIs include:

  • Concussions
  • Contusions
  • Intracranial hemorrhage (brain bleed)
  • Cerebral edema (brain swelling)
  • Diffuse axonal injury (DAI)
  • Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

Traumatic brain injuries can be caused by both open head injuries (when the skull is penetrated) or closed head injuries (when the skull is not penetrated).

Symptoms and Warning Signs of a TBI

The initial symptoms and warning signs of a brain injury present in different ways. Here are some red flags to watch for after suffering head trauma, a fall, or a hard impact.

  • Physical Symptoms: These symptoms include headache, dizziness, double vision, nausea, light sensitivity, noise sensitivity, fatigue, and loss of balance.
  • Cognitive Symptoms: These symptoms include lapses in memory, mental fog, loss of focus, confusion, and inability to find the right word or phrase.
  • Emotional/Behavioral Symptoms: These symptoms include irritability, mood swings, depression, anxiety, and loss of enthusiasm for old interests or hobbies.

Seek Medical Attention ASAP

Even if you feel fine after an accident, be sure to see a doctor right away. The symptoms of a concussion or other brain injuries are not immediately apparent.

Seeing a doctor ensures you get properly diagnosed and have a record of your condition following an incident. This medical record can be essential for your brain injury claim.

Common Causes of Brain Injuries

Below are some of the most common causes of brain injuries we’ve seen at our Redwood City law firm.

  • Car Crashes: Car accidents can cause severe concussions and other head trauma, even with airbags and seatbelts.
  • Large Truck Accidents: The sheer force generated in 18-wheeler and dump truck crashes increases the likelihood of a major brain injury.
  • Motorcycle Collisions: Even when riders wear helmets, a hard impact with another vehicle, object, or the ground can cause a TBI.
  • Bike and E-Bike Accidents: While helmets can mitigate trauma in bike and e-bike accidents, a TBI is still possible given the vulnerability of cyclists.
  • Sports-Related Injuries: Concussions and other kinds of serious head trauma are possible in contact and combat sports.
  • Workplace Accidents: Head trauma is a major risk in dangerous occupations. Protective headwear cannot fully prevent a TBI at work.
  • Slips, Trips, and Falls: Bad falls can cause major head trauma, particularly falls from major heights or down stairs.

Proving Negligence in Brain Injury Claims

When establishing negligence in a head trauma/TBI claim, these four elements must be present:

  • Duty of Care: Someone had a duty to act reasonably in order to ensure the safety of others.
  • Breach of Duty: Someone failed to act responsibly.
  • Causation: By failing in their duty, someone caused another person to suffer head trauma and/or a brain injury.
  • Damages: The person with a brain injury experienced financial losses because of the incident and the lasting effects of their TBI.

When our Redwood City TBI attorneys review your case, we can let you know if you have a viable brain injury claim and what steps to take next.

Compensation for Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors

Compensation can ease financial burdens after suffering a brain injury. It can also provide long-term stability when a TBI affects different aspects of your personal and professional life. Our brain injury attorneys in Redwood City can help you seek full and fair compensation.

Economic Damages for Brain Injuries

Economic damages are the financial losses associated with life after a brain injury. These include:

  • Emergency room and hospitalization costs
  • Surgical procedures and additional medical treatments
  • Rehabilitation, occupational therapy, and assistive devices
  • Lost wages while recovering from injuries
  • Reduced future earning capacity due to disability
  • In-home care and other needs

Non-Economic Damages for Brain Injuries

Non-economic damages are the subjective changes in quality of life for people living with a brain injury. This includes: 

  • Physical pain and suffering
  • Mental anguish and emotional distress
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Lower quality of life
  • Strain on relationships

How Partial Fault Can Affect TBI Compensation

California is a pure comparative negligence state, which means you can still seek compensation even if you were partly liable or mostly to blame for an injury. However, any compensation you receive will be reduced by your share of fault.

Many insurance companies will try to shift blame onto accident survivors to reduce settlement offers and payouts. Our Redwood City can help push back against allegations of shared fault so you get the full compensation you deserve.

How Long Do I Have to File a Brain Injury Lawsuit in California?

In California, you typically have two years from the date of an incident to file a brain injury lawsuit (CCP § 335.1). If you miss the two-year deadline, you will not be able to seek compensation for your TBI.

There are some exceptions to this two-year statute of limitations. If a government agency or entity was responsible for your head trauma, you will need to file an administrative notice of claim.

Don’t wait until the last minute. It’s best to contact our Bay Area brain injury lawyers as soon as possible. Our law firm will assess your situation and ensure you meet all important deadlines.

Why Choose Danko Meredith for Your TBI Case

If you’ve suffered a brain injury, you need a law firm with the ability to hold powerful interests accountable. Danko Meredith is here to provide the support you need as you adjust to changes in your daily life. We’re here to fight for you and your family and to seek maximum compensation.

We Have the Resources and Experts to Take Your Case to Trial

Even if we’re outnumbered by a corporate defense team, we won’t be out-lawyered. At Danko Meredith, we are ready to take your case to trial. Our team of injury attorneys has decades of combined trial experience. We have the resources to hire some of the finest neurologists, medical specialists, and expert witnesses in the country.

We Have a Strong Record of Past Case Results

Danko Meredith has fought for brain injury survivors for years, and we’ve helped clients secure compensation that aids in recovery. This includes a $15 million verdict for a brain injury in a crash landing and a $2.2 million judgment of a TBI in a cycling accident. Keep in mind that past results do not guarantee future outcomes. However, we encourage you to browse our past case results to learn about the complicated, high-stakes cases we work on.

You Pay Nothing Unless We Win

At Danko Meredith, we work on a contingency fee basis. This means that we only get paid if we secure compensation for you. If we don’t win, you pay us nothing. We are fully invested in your claim and in your family’s future following a serious brain injury.

Contact Our Redwood City Brain Injury Attorneys Near You

Brain injuries can change so many aspects of daily life. We want to make sure you are properly compensated for your TBI and any challenges that may be in your future. For a free consultation with Bay Area brain injury lawyers near you, contact our Redwood City law firm today.

Frequently Asked Questions About Brain Injury Lawsuits

Brain injuries can have numerous long-term effects on a person’s physical, mental, and cognitive health, including:

  • Problems with memory
  • Difficult concentrating
  • Chronic headaches
  • Bouts of vertigo
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Reduced executive function
  • Poor impulse control
  • Seizures

Here are few resources in the Bay Area for people affected by traumatic brain injuries:

Yes, California allows spouses to recover compensation through loss of consortium claims. Loss of consortium claims apply to injuries that affect interpersonal relationships, which includes the loss of intimacy, companionship, and affection.

In the vast majority of cases, loss of consortium claims only apply to married couples. You may not be eligible for a loss of consortium claim if you are unmarried, cohabitate with your partner, or are just in a long-term relationship.

Potentially yes, but it depends on how you were injured and who is liable.

In most cases of work-related TBI, you will only be able to seek compensation through your workers’ compensation benefits. However, you may be able to file a third-party claim if a contractor, product manufacturer, or someone outside of work caused or contributed to your brain injury.